The BGS magnetic field candidate models for the 10th generation IGRF

Abstract

In this paper we describe the derivation of the BGS candidate models for the 10th generation International Geomagnetic Reference Field. Our data set comprised quiet night-time data from the Èrsted and Champ satellites spanning 1999.2–2004.6 and observatory hourly means spanning 1999.0–2004.0. To improve the secular variation estimates for 2005.0–2010.0, predictions based on application of linear prediction filters to long series of observatory annual means were also used. These data were fitted by a spherical harmonic “parent” model with an internal field of maximum degree 36, a quadratic dependence on time up to degree 8, a linear dependence on time up to degree 12, an external field of maximum degree 2 with linear dependence on time, annual and semi-annual variations, and Dst dependence for degree 1 terms. Additionally for the external field, non-zonal degree 1 coefficients in the Geocentric Equatorial Inertial reference frame with annual variations and dependence on the Interplanetary Magnetic Field Y-component are included. The candidate models were then based, for the main field, on an extrapolation to 2005.0 of the truncated parent model, and for the secular variation, on its extrapolation to 2007.5. This latter set of coefficients was then used to generate a synthetic data set at the Earth’s surface and this set was augmented with long term linear predictions of observatory annual means, to produce the final candidate secular variation model at 2007.5.